FARIS Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Good day one and all, hope all is well. Tonight I drove the Mazdaspeed6 and LGT back to back and have some what of a review (albeit a personal subjective review). Okay you all know the LGT inside and out so I willnot bore you with those details, but comparatively with the ms6 is how I will present this. Interior- As far as size goes, the ms6 has a better interior. Now there is a caviote (sp?) the ms6 is a larger car. The interior dimensions were much more roomy. I set the front seat to my specifications, I am 6'1" 198lbs, then I jumped into the back seat. The LGT felt tight. I would not feel comfortable with three people, no matter what their size was, in the back. Also, my knees felt a bit cramped against the seat and my feet were pressed against the bottom of the drivers seat. I know that this is all subjective, so take it as you will. As far as the lay-out of the interior, which is really subjective, I felt that the gauges of the LGT surpased the mazda hands down. They were clear, concise, and dare I say elegant? The ms6's were standard asian red. They were not hard on the eyes and easy to read, but they lacked any type of soul very boring. The ms6 came with leather and the navi system. I did not play with the navi, but a cool feature that came with it was a pop out remote control. Like I said I did not play with it, but hey 6speed manual with navi. Looking at the lgt these can not be compatable componets of an automobile . As for the driver seats, they were of a fine leather they felt comfortable enough. They were grippy and I did not slide around while cornering. The much could be said for the LGT, so this was a bit of a draw. Now for the part that we have all been waiting for on this long winded post- The Drive The mazda blows the lgt out of the water. The acceleration was just too sweet ! From first gear up to sixth, it is a very smooth pull. Their is a bit of a turbo lag, but not as abrupt as the lgt. First gear is a little tall, but it gets you into boost right off the bat. I will say however that the lgt from my point of view handles better. I took the same route in both cars and was able to break the mazda out of the corner, where as the subie was glued to the road. Very nice Subie, very nice. It instills a bit more confidence. This could be however since, I have driven and LGT more than the ms6, and the mazda weighs quite a bit more, who knows? As far as overall performance though I have to give it to the mazda. The ride felt more compliant, the cornering was not as tight, but it was not like it could not corner either. I think the big selling point is the power that this car has, it more than makes up for its lack of cornering prowess. It just goes like a rocket. I believe with the overall comfort and ride that the lgt just does not beat the ms6. There are just two minor problems with the ms6 that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual car; limited production and an msrp of $29xxx and a sticker of $36xxx ,and that is with only 2500 dealer mark-up. Im sorry but those are number for a higher class of car than one with a mazda emblem. The new is350 which is being considered a 3series killer, msrps for those numbers. so thats my story I don't know if it helps or hurts. sorry it was long winded and disorganized, but this is my first car review:icon_roll. any questions or comments are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_T Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 A good review based on your test drive. The new Audi 2.0 turbo is reputed to have NO lag whatsoever. FHI are you listening or sitting back on your laurels? I think Sube has major product flaw challenges facing it. Out of the box the car is incompetently tuned, and there is no excuse for it except they don't care, apparently. When sales start slipping, which due to ever emerging and increasing competition will surely happen, maybe they will wake up and shape up the product to be truly competitive. But by then they might have already lost serious market share. Try getting that back (Ford, GM, etc.) I'm talking about fixing boost lag, crappy tuning, bad clutches and MT's, sucky brakes, laggy lazy automatics, too much road wander, rattles galore, odors penetrating cabin space, weak sound deadening, old-school sound systems, ridiculous cabin temp control, etc., etc. If Subaru is serious about being taken seriously, they will address all this nonsense. And if they don't, they will slowly but surely molt into just another waning has-been manufacturer. Frankly, I don't think the badge can erase the scourge created by what I consider to be its overall poor dealership network. While there are some "good" dealerships, there are just too many lousy ones in my opinion for the brand to ever blossom into something major in the U.S. People aren't stupid and word gets around. And with more and more manufacturers introducing new AWD models, the pressure to excel in the marketplace is certainly targeting Subaru especially. But in the end price has a lot to do with sales, so SOA's discounting and product tunability aftermarket will probably ensure continued, though limited and I would venture decreasing success in the sports sedan category. A great car out of the box will outsell a compromise every time at the same price level. I think competition is great and I hope it causes Subaru to improve their product enough to entice me into buying another when time comes to trade in. In the present state of affairs, that will likely not happen. Once pricing settles Mazda is sure to sell boatloads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forestir Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Yikes, that's a bit harsh Ed_T. If you visit the other cars' forums, you'll see that everyone's got problems. This isn't to excuse Subaru from making improvements, but the Legacy is far from the PoS that your 2nd paragraph would make it out to be. Would you buy any VW/Audi product nowadays, zero lag or not? A6 is beautiful, but talk about getting intimately familiar with dealership network... ...anyway, happy Thanksgiving to everyone. And hope y'all don't think of your Legacies as turkeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobY Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 I rather have a chasis thats more naturally balanced. Power is easy to add to the LGT. If you think the LGT handles better now wait till you get rid of the Suckstone RE-92(tard) tires. Good review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmanus88 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 i haven't had one mechanical problem with the LGT yet, my only problem with it is thin paint and fairly cheap interior parts. what subaru shouldve done (aside from the formerly mentioned): -better audio options -real wood trim, perhaps? - different wheels to choose from -remote car starter -navi brought on 05 but thats just my opinion, i like my lgt a lot, no regrets at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_T Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Yikes, that's a bit harsh Ed_T. If you visit the other cars' forums, you'll see that everyone's got problems. This isn't to excuse Subaru from making improvements, but the Legacy is far from the PoS that your 2nd paragraph would make it out to be. Would you buy any VW/Audi product nowadays, zero lag or not? A6 is beautiful, but talk about getting intimately familiar with dealership network... ...anyway, happy Thanksgiving to everyone. And hope y'all don't think of your Legacies as turkeys. forestir - I never labelled it a POS - you did! Mine has its share of the 'symptoms' I listed, and I'd purchase it all over again. If they really want to collect the big bucks for their vehicles, IMO they gotta get real serious about improving the product. If other badges can crank out, so can they. The question is: do they want to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_knoxville Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Now there is a caviote (sp?) caveat where are you located? in USA? i have yet to see this car listed in online inventory for any regional dealerships in the southeast did you drive it simply as a prospective customer, or are you in the industry? just curious how you got the dealership to allow a test drive on a limited production vehicle, because many put you through the wringer unless they feel a sale is in the bag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobY Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 A good review based on your test drive. The new Audi 2.0 turbo is reputed to have NO lag whatsoever. FHI are you listening or sitting back on your laurels? Screw lag... The car should have come with no uppipe cat and a 20g sized turbo to begin with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laz Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Well as you said the MS6 will be alimited production, so you will not see many of them out in the road. I agree with some of the statements like better interiors, Nav option on all levels not just EAT, and maybe better marketing. But then again if it becomes too popular too many people will own them, and the exclusivity factor of it will disminish. It is always fun to see people looking at my car and not quite figuring out what it is. Is it an Acura? Is it a Toyota? Is it a ???? And then they go around the car and you can see their surprise when they read Subaru in the back. I have seen this many times in the parking lot where I park. X --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FARIS Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 John_knoxville- I am in the Sacramento Ca area. I had called the local dealerships about the car about 1-2 weeks ago, and was told they got their first in on monday but it needed to be preped for a test drive so that is why I waited until wensday. So, yeah I was doing it from a perspective buyer stand point. What I thought was interesting was that like you said not many people have seen these cars in the US dealer lots so I was shocked that they wanted me to come down as soon as possible to take a test drive. PS I forgot to mention the brakes when I first posted. The mazda breaks definently were much grippier than the LGT. Had me worried that I was going to roll into the intersection instead of the mazda where I almost put the dealer through the windsheild appling what I thought was a regular brake pressure ! Everyone give T.O. a hand for being an ass and getting the 'Thanksgiving Turkey Award!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FARIS Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 It was also funny because I forgot my wallet and DL at my office and all they said was 'just don't crash it' on my test drive . I make no promises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 The mazdaspeed6 comes with summer radials stock so I would expect better braking and as you said it was grippier. I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 twinscroll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 How's highway cruising?? passing?? I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camber Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 From What I've read on Canadian Mazda forums for acutal owners is that when the "AWD" engages the rear wheels it is quite abrupt and your feel it and the car has a tendency to understeer. Although apparently torque comes on quite well. 0-100 km/h was tested by AJAC for their car of the year testing to be 5.5s which is a few ticks faster then a stock LGT. However, it seems the LGT has way more upgrading potential for now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dskelto Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Wouldn't the applicable comparison to the MS6 be the LGT Spec B? Not saying that the Spec B eliminates all of the concerns posted by Ed_T, but it might address some issues of packaging, ie. Nav and Manual combo, 18 in wheels, better rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Good tuning Getting rid of the cat in the uppipe will be the first step (seems like it will happen across the board next year) Going twin scroll Direct injection Doing all of the above will make the 2.5L turbo from Subaru competitive without changes to much of the engine. Subaru should go grab some cash from Toyota already! -B PS DM, I am gonna win! -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forestir Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 I never labelled it a POS - you did! Mine has its share of the 'symptoms' I listed, and I'd purchase it all over again. Sorry. My bad. I was kinda psyched on the "I love my Legacy" threads and just read too much into your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmanus88 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 bigger turbo wouldve been nice, i'll live with what stage 1 can do for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesmaster Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 The main issues with Mazdaspeed products are lack of upgrades/suppliers. The MSP 6 is nice car stock. Stage 2, short shifter, brake pads, and tires take care of most peoples issues with the LGT, for a lot less total $. (I'm already there) Plus, there will be competitively priced aftermarket support for Subies. That said, I'd love to drive the MSP 6. My wife drives a Mazda 3 hatchback and it is an extremely good driving package, nice interior, handles very well, and has been trouble free for 2 years. The Mazdaspeed 3 is supposed to be the next MSP release, I'm looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FARIS Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 you know moding any car will make better than another stock car that just is not a fair comparison. I know that it is a cheap way to make your car compete with others, but this could be said of any vehical. I can make a 1969 dodge dart out perform a 06 LGT (why would I? I don't know). My point is you can not compare the MS6 with a modded LGT. ALthough with that being said, I can buy a 06 LGT for roughly 10 large less. Melayout cruising was very nice. The road that I was on was not very good and you hardly noticed. I would say that both cars soaked up the bumps fairly evenly. Passing in the MS6, as I am sure you read elsewhere, is not an issue, the car is a bit larger than the lgt so that takes a quick recalculation while driving. Other than that it zips in and out of traffic with nary a thought. Especially if you keep it around 3-5000 rpms best boost range. As far as just flooring it without down shifting, it reminded me of the B5 S4. just point and push your gone. Of course three seconds later, the audi was in the shop because of one reason or another, make a list of that cars features and they will fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laz Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Good review, but somehow for me at least I find the back and the bulged out tailights hard to like: http://deexboy.com/albums/album25/MS6.jpg X --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 stg1 LGT>MS6 and still cost less IBhedroveanautomaticLGTwagon. Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melayout Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Thanks FARIS. Alsp, I think like others said, the Spec B vs MS6 is probably a more appropriate comparison, features and price wise. I keed I keeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emorphien Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 it's a nice car but it's still a ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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